1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a center console of a vehicle installed on its floor as if extending along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
One example of a conventional center console of a vehicle is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-166952. As shown in the Patent Publication, the center console comprises a console box which is installed on one side of a driver""s seat and has an internal storage space opening upward, a console lid of which one end is hinged to the console box so that the console lid can be swung up about its hinged end to close and open the storage space, a first locking device for holding the console lid at a first open position from which the console lid is released when it is swung in its closing direction, and a second locking device for holding the console lid at a second open position which is reached when the console lid is further swung in its opening direction, the second locking device being provided with an unlock mechanism for releasing the console lid from the second open position. In this center console, the console lid is released from the second open position when the console lid is forced in its closing direction following an operation for unlocking the second locking device.
An advantage of the aforementioned structure of the center console provided with the first and second locking devices for holding the console lid at two different open positions from which the console lid is released in different ways is that the console lid can be held at two different angles suitable for purposes of use, depending on whether a vehicle occupant places a drinking vessel in a bottle holder provided in the internal storage space of the console box or stores small articles in the storage space, for example. This conventional center console, however, has a disadvantage that the console lid hinders action of the vehicle occupant seated on a side in which direction the console lid is opened and the occupant tends to hit the elbow against the console lid when placing a drinking vessel in or taking it out of the bottle holder. This is because the console lid has a relatively large size to cover the entire top surface of the storage space and the bottle holder is used with the console lid retained in its second open position.
Another example of a conventional center console of a vehicle is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-50875. In this center console, at least one lid for covering and uncovering an aperture of an internal storage space of a console box, the aperture being provided in a front or rear portion of the top surface of the console box, is slidably supported by the console box together with a bottle holder for holding a drinking vessel. When using the internal space of the console box as an accessory storage for holding small articles, a vehicle occupant should slide the lid and the bottle holder together to an open position of the lid, and when using the bottle holder alone, the vehicle occupant should slide only the lid to its open position. This structure makes it possible to prevent the lid from hindering action of the vehicle occupant and use the console box as both the accessory storage and the bottle holder.
When both the lid and the bottle holder are supported by the console box so that they can be individually slid and the console box can serve as both the accessory storage and the bottle holder as stated above, however, there arises a problem that a storage space used as the accessory storage and the bottle holder are both located close to one end (front or rear) of the console box, making it impossible to efficiently use the whole of the internal space of the console box.
In light of the aforementioned problems of the prior art, it is an object of the invention to provide a center console of a vehicle, which enables efficient use of an internal storage space of the center console while offering greater convenience of use of the storage space.
In order to achieve the above object according to the invention, a center console of a vehicle installed on its floor as extending along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle has a bottle holder for holding a drinking vessel, an accessory storage for holding small articles, a first lid for covering and uncovering the top of the bottle holder, and a second lid for covering and uncovering the top of the accessory storage. In this center console, the first lid can be slid from a position where the top of the bottle holder is covered by the first lid to a position where the top of the bottle holder is uncovered and, with the first and second lids joined into a single structure, the first and second lids can be swung up together about a fixed part of a hinge from a position where the top of the accessory storage is covered to a position where the top of the accessory storage is uncovered.
In this construction, the top of the bottle holder is opened enabling the use of the bottle holder when the first lid is slid from its open position in the direction of the accessory storage, and the top of the accessory storage is opened enabling the use of the accessory storage when the first and second lids joined into a single structure are swung up about the fixed part of the hinge. This construction offers great convenience in using the bottle holder and the accessory storage, also enabling efficient use of an internal space of the center console.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.